Show your neighborhood butcher some love, and let the meat maestros’ expertise add to the thrill of the grill.
For big and beefy steaks…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgCL1CB5pC/If you’re looking to throw down on dry-aged steaks, the massive butcher counter at Century City’s Eataly feels like Christmas. The Italian culinary complex is usually stocked with prime-grade, California-sourced porterhouses, New York strips, and tomahawk rib eyes that have been aged 30 days for extra flavor and tenderness. Watch for their ridiculously good steak sales, too. 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City.
For fancy sausages…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpZw9Gghs2I/Jered Standing’s eponymous Melrose butcher shop emphasizes “ethically raised and sustainably sourced meat,” which means a focus on grass-fed, pasture-raised beef from California as well as cuts you might not see at the supermarket (beef heel, bavette steak). Another perk: quirky—and delicious—house-made sausage flavors like cheesy broccolini and orange chicken. 7016 Melrose Ave., Hancock Park.
“Grain-finished beef is fattier, and while fat is delicious, it’s just one flavor. There’s more complexity in grass-fed beef. That said, there’s still a lot of bad stuff out there. The maturity of the cow and the quality of the grass is crucial. It’s an ethical consideration for me first, because you’re feeding the animal a species-appropriate diet, but a bonus is that it ends up tasting better, too.” —Jered Standing on why Standing’s Butchery carries only local, grass-fed beef.
For top-notch birds…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNkcqSh7Ac/Run by fine-dining vets Nathan McCall and Karen Yoo, McCall’s Meat & Fish Co. offers
not only top-notch goods but also sage advice on how to prepare them. Around the holidays, the Los Feliz destination is famous for its free-range turkeys (Thanksgiving pre-orders closed on November 17), but if that seems like too much of a commitment, you’ll also find stuffed roaster chickens on special. 2117 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz.
For roasts…
https://www.instagram.com/p/Beta6bQBVFD/An original Farmers Market standby since 1986, Jim Cascone’s Huntington Meats is the kind of neighborhood butcher you’d imagine populating Main Street before the advent of supermarket chains. Whether you’re in the mood for a dramatic crown roast of lamb or the famed Nancy Silverton’s Special Burger Blend made from prime chuck, this classic has you covered. 6333 W. 3rd St., Fairfax.
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